Management of open fractures of the ankle joint.

A total of 64 patients with open fractures of the ankle were reviewed to assess the benefits of rigid primary internal fixation. Of these, 27 patients were treated by rigid primary internal fixation; the remainder were treated by a combination of internal splintage with K-wires and plaster casting. Patients who were treated by rigid primary fixation fared better in terms of joint mobility, maintenance of reduction and reduced sepsis rate. An interesting observation, in some of the displaced fractures, was the presence of débris far removed from the site of the wound. This was obviously sucked in during the mechanism of the injury. This has not been described previously. A method of decontaminating such wounds is discussed.